Diane Lee comes from a family of artists and has been surrounded by creativity her entire life. Working primarily in watercolor, she also explores acrylic and mixed media, creating florals, landscapes, and portraits inspired by nature. Diane has illustrated books, designed album art for the Grammy-nominated band Big Thief, and teaches watercolor from her home studio. She is also a guiding force behind the Art with Heart exhibition.

Kay Anderson discovered painting after retiring from a career in software consulting and has embraced art as a joyful new chapter. Working primarily with alcohol ink, she creates vibrant abstract pieces filled with color and movement. Kay believes art should spark feelings and memories, much like the meaningful pieces she has collected throughout her travels and life.

Gail Speckmann discovered her love of art at age three, choosing favorite colors and vowing to add a new one each year. Today she is an international award-winning artist and judge, photographer, and author of Wet-into-Wet Watercolor. Her work captures the glowing pulse of life in nature, travel scenes, abstracts, and spiritual themes — inviting the viewer to complete the story.

Patricia Choffrut is a watercolor artist whose work is shaped by a life lived across cultures. Growing up on Minnesota’s Iron Range and later spending 20 years in southern France as a French teacher, she draws inspiration from the people, villages, and landscapes she has encountered. From quiet scenes of home to the vibrant ports and towns of Provence, Patricia paints daily life with warmth and sensitivity. She is also a commissioned portrait artist whose work has received local and national recognition.

Noelle Dahlen is an oil and pastel painter inspired by the landscapes surrounding her Minnesota home. Her work is known for its sense of tranquility, achieved through simple compositions, limited color palettes, and soft transitions — offering a quiet breath of fresh air in a cluttered world. Often painting outdoors, Noelle views her creative process as a kind of silent prayer, using creeks, rivers, lakes, and open skies to invite viewers on a gentle visual journey. 

Lou Cunico has been creating art since preschool, first encouraged by her mother’s love of the stories she told through drawing. Though she chose a career in speech pathology after studying at the University of Northern Colorado, she never stopped painting. Working primarily in oil for over 40 years, Lou is passionate about portraying women whose strength and resilience inspire reflection and hope.

Sue Olson enjoys painting birds, landscapes, and animals in watercolor, occasionally incorporating ink or acrylic to add depth and dimension to her work. She is drawn not only to the beauty of her subjects, but also to the creative process itself — finding joy in painting, teaching, and encouraging others to explore their own artistic abilities.

Merry Conway discovered art later in life after growing up in a small rural Minnesota town with little exposure to it. As a young mother, she found creative community through local oil and watercolor classes, gathering with other women in basements and dining rooms to share fellowship and practice. Decades later, she returned to painting, studying acrylics, art history, and technique. Inspired by expressionism, impressionism, and abstract art, Merry continues to learn and create with deep gratitude for her teachers, friends, and the beauty of nature.

Barbara Parisien has worked in watercolor for over 20 years, though her love of art began in childhood. Inspired by the natural world, gardens, markets, and her travels, she paints primarily from photographs she has taken. While her award-winning work has appeared in shows and collections, Barbara paints simply for the joy of creating.

Maren Legeros is an artist specializing in hand-cut paper portraits. Raised between two cultures — Danish on her mother’s side and Greek on her father’s — her work weaves together traditional Scandinavian paper cutting and the rich storytelling of Greek mythology. Inspired by the paper-cut illustrations of Hans Christian Andersen and the mythic themes passed down through her family, Maren creates work that honors both sides of her heritage. By choosing Minnesotan residents as her subjects, she elevates everyday people into a heightened, mythic form — a reminder that extraordinary beauty lives within our own community.

Andy Gosiak discovered a love for art and storytelling at a young age in Minnesota. From serving in the Army to long-distance hikes and travels across the U.S., his experiences continue to shape his creative spirit. He is the author of Solomon’s Sojourn, a children’s book about courage and imagination. His inspiration is endless — and his quirkiness is limitless.

Juanita Tatum creates to better understand herself and the world around her. Art slows her mind and helps her process experiences, giving shape to thoughts and emotions that can be hard to name. Working intuitively with mixed media and found materials, she builds layered pieces through experimentation, embracing mistakes and allowing each work to evolve organically.

Claudia Hanson is a watercolor artist and teacher whose studies at the University of Minnesota shaped her exploration of acrylic, collage, photography, and mixed media. Working intuitively, she allows each painting to evolve through process and experimentation. From winter outdoor sessions to expressive splashes of paint, her work draws on memory, imagination, and the spirit of the Minnesota landscape.

For Leny Wendel, painting represents endless opportunity — a chance to continually explore new subjects and styles. Drawn to experimentation, she finds that variety keeps her work fresh and challenging. She is especially passionate about expressionism, where bold color and dynamic shapes bring depth and vitality to her figures, portraits, and abstract compositions.

Julie Creamer is a watercolor artist inspired by Minnesota’s landscapes, from the rugged North Shore to the Twin Cities. Working exclusively in watercolor, she embraces the medium’s spontaneity, using bold color to capture movement and joy. Her subjects range from natural forms to elegant antiques — especially antique automobiles — celebrating color, memory, and the richness of her Minnesota home.

Sylvia Benson has been immersed in the creative arts since the 1970s, beginning with watercolor and expanding into alcohol inks, stained glass, and acrylics. A dedicated educator, she has served as an Artist-in-Residence in elementary schools and taught at Concordia University and White Bear Center for the Arts. Through workshops across the U.S. and abroad, Sylvia continues to refine her craft, guided by her belief that the arts are among society’s highest aspirations.

Larry J. Homan draws inspiration from the quiet strength found in nature — systems that may seem small yet sustain life. His work reflects beauty, resilience, and interdependence. Rooted in close observation and shifts in scale, his approach highlights the power of subtle forms. Recent pieces focus on the bee as a symbol of devotion, courage, and the unseen labor that sustains us.

Lynette Beebe creates work that invites joy and emotional openness. Viewers often share that her paintings make them feel happy — a response that mirrors her own creative process. When Lynette paints, she approaches the work intuitively, allowing the medium to guide her rather than forcing an outcome. This openness creates a path she follows toward the subject and its story, making each piece a process of discovery and surprise.

Lisa Fertig grew up in Duluth, Minnesota, where her love of nature and the changing seasons first took root. She studied at the American Academy of Art, with additional training at the University of Minnesota and Atelier Lack. Working in watercolor and acrylic, she creates landscapes, still lifes, and abstracts. Her award-winning work is exhibited in galleries throughout Minnesota.

Lee Hochstein has explored the arts throughout his life, from painting and sculpture to stained glass. After college, he developed a passion for photography — particularly vibrant sunsets — which continues to influence his work today. Returning to painting just before the pandemic, he now works primarily in acrylics, drawing inspiration from both online imagery and his own photography, with a lasting love of bold color.

Rand Whillock is a retired engineer creating distinctive glass art in North Oaks, Minnesota, alongside his wife, Beth. Using torchwork, fused and slumped glass, and glass blowing, he explores the balance between control and unpredictability. Inspired by trees, leaves, flowers, and water, Rand brings both curiosity and precision to his work — though often the glass leads him to forms more beautiful than imagined.

Ruth Ann Nordlund has long been active in the arts, with a background in both art and art history. After teaching in the public school system, she opened a working studio in Bagley to foster connection among artists. Now painting near Itasca State Park, her still lifes are inspired by family heirlooms and Scandinavian heritage, exploring how light, memory, and composition shape our experience of everyday objects.